Effectiveness of polypropylene fibers on impact and shrinkage cracking behavior of adobe mixes

Abstract

Earth has been used as construction material for thousands of years and still at present earthen shelters are widely inhabited due to their comfort and low environmental impacts. Despite their advantages, earthen materials are brittle and their performance can be enhanced with the addition of fibers. This study addresses the use of different dosages of micro-polypropylene fibers in adobe mixes. The results show that adobe mechanical damage performance is sensitive to the dosage of polypropylene fibers increasing impact strength and reducing drying shrinkage cracking.